1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mounting night vision goggles to face masks and, more particularly, to an improved latch to mount a night vision goggle system to a face mask.
2. The Prior Art
Night vision goggles are binocular viewers that operate at very low light levels to allow the user to see, move and perform some tasks in the dark. They are normally worn attached to a face mask so as to free the user's hands.
There are various known ways of attaching the goggles to the face mask. One is disclosed in an application Ser. No. 337,023, filed Jan. 4, 1982, entitled NIGHT VISION GOGGLE SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,252 (it's been allowed on 2/23/84) and assigned to a common assignee, the Baird Corporation of Bedford, Massachusetts, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In the disclosure of said application, the goggle system is head mounted via a quick-release connection to a face mask provided with an adjustable strap assembly. Although the quick-release connection is satisfactory, it nevertheless lacks certain desirable attributes, including features of being up and down, i.e., angularly adjustable, of rendering the goggles operational when connected, and of being capable of one-handed attachment. There is thus both room and want for improvement as regards mounting night vision goggle systems to face masks.